Bill Penzey: Trump Voters Are Racists

Bill Penzey has chosen to spread hate in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

He viciously, unfairly attacks half the country, not a winning strategy for selling spices and growing his customer base.

Do not support this guy's business.

Here's his Sunday email:

We've always been about the kindness of Cooks, the goodness they set in motion each time they care enough to make good food for those around them. What happened to our nation in 2016 was first tested in our home state of Wisconsin along with Missouri and North Carolina. From our experience, we knew what was coming in the aftermath of the election, so we got out in front of it with an email and a Facebook post titled “Cooking trumps Racism.” It caught a wind.

Part of what I said in that email/Facebook post was that voting for an openly racist candidate for President of the United States of America is an act of racism. This idea caused me to get emails. Lots of emails. Tens of thousands of emails. I read them. More were positive than negative. But in the day after day, reading hour after hour, I came to understand, for those angry at me I had broken the unwritten rule of American racism which is that those who do, support, promote, or vote for racism are never to bear any of its costs; the costs of racism should be paid entirely by those on the receiving end. This is of course not sane.

In this year that marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. King being taken from us, the time’s come to change who pays for racism. In many ways racism in America is played like a game of schoolyard keep away. No one group is by itself entirely responsible, but each has its roll in keeping the game alive.

There are the flat-out white supremacists. This group leads the way, but by itself has minimal impact because their message is so outside everything America values. Next there are the politicians who usually speak in what's called dog whistles, words the supremacists know show support for their beliefs, but to others just sounds like normal speech. And then there are the voters who vote for these politicians knowing full well they are saying what the supremacists need to hear, but pretending there is some other more important issue, like doing with your emails the exact same thing previous Secretaries of State had done with their emails.

Usually this keep away process of tossing the hat between supremacists, dog-whistling politicians and voters with the excuse of being concerned with “bigger issues” works in a way where those voters can claim to not be racists themselves. This time around that excuse no longer works because this time around they voted for a candidate who was, and is, a flat-out white supremacist. From Americans born to Hispanic heritage not being capable of being judges, to banning the darker skinned from immigration, there is no doubt who this man is, or what he stands for. This time, voting for the Republican’s openly racist candidate was itself an act of racism. This time there's no excuse.

From all the emails I read, there is hope to be had in that the vast majority of Republican voters don't want to be seen as racists. For those who openly believe that America is not about ideas and principles but instead about skin color, with the way they've been emboldened by this administration, I don't see much change coming. But for the actual conservatives who voted with the Republicans in spite of the party’s racism, these are interesting times. Actual conservatives really do believe in taking responsibility for their actions. Those that voted for this administration committed an act of open racism. What will they do next?

My advice has always been admit you made a mistake, make amends, move on. Each will have to find the way to make amends that is right for them. But as a nation, can we all be done with holding those responsible for racism blameless and expecting those on the receiving end to pay racism’s costs? Conservative or liberal, a big part of why America works is whoever makes the mess is expected to pick up after themselves. Voting for racism is racism. If you don't want to be publicly seen as a racist, don't vote for it.

And so because America doesn't like racism but loves free stuff, if you can get to one of our stores today or tomorrow we have a flat-out free $14.95 mini Soul box for you! Online at penzeys.com they are also free, but shipping and handling will apply. The good news is, we've dropped our usual $7.95 S&H charge on orders under $30 to just $3.95. On orders over $30 regular shipping is free.

And yes, if you are willing to spend $5 you can get a free half-cup jar Spice or Seasoning of your choice, up to a $9.95 value, while at the same time getting a free $14.95 mini Soul box. And if you're not sure how to spend your $5, why not spend $6 and get the quarter-cup of the very tasty and easily useful Minced Toasted Onions and the half-cup of the wonderfully all-purpose and equally tasty Northwoods Seasoning? All combined this is a $35 value for just $6 in one of our stores or just $9.95 online at penzeys.com with the reduced $3.95 shipping.

In stores just show this email or the coupons below and above for the free mini Soul box and half-cup jar of your choice up to $9.95 in value with $5 purchase. No coupon is needed for the Minced Toasted Onions or for the Northwoods Seasoning? All those prices are already reduced.

Online at penzeys.com simply enter 82452C into the apply code box at checkout. No need to place the box in your basket, the code will do that for you. For the half-cup Spice or Seasoning of your choice up to $9.95 in value, just enter the five digit code of your choice plus a “C” like 15653C for Hot Chocolate mix. It's easy, but do it now before tomorrow flies by and you miss this honestly amazing offer.

And this Monday, and every day, it's time to honor Dr. King by taking the big next step. America is the land of the free; let's give up on it being a home for racism. The time has come to stop expecting those on the receiving end to pay the costs of racism; it's time to admit it's only fair and right for those creating it to pay its costs. Voting for racism is racism. No more racist votes.

Thanks for being a Cook,

Bill
bill@penzeys.com

Disgraceful.